The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-11
The Coming Conference of Friends.

G. W. Pritchard, in Chicago Inter- o cean.
The proposition for the conference arose at
Indianas Yearly Meeting, which met at Rich
mond, Ind. in 1886. This is the largest yearly
meeting of Friends in the world, having by last
years report q, 002 mem bers. The invitation
to meet proposed has been accepted by every
yearly meeting in the world which has met
since that time. Indiana will have twelve dele
gates. and other yea rly meetings will be repre-
sented follows: Kausa with 7.071 mem bers.
will have six delegates Baltimore,
with 1888, eight; New York, with
3,s46, nine; New England. with AGO,
nine; Canada, with about l, $780, FIVE; North Caro-
Ina with about 6, 900. four; OHIO. with about g.,
600, fourteen London, with 10, 453 members. has
six delegates. and Dublin. 2, 1885, three. Iowa
Yearly Meeting, which has 9. $40 members, is now
in session at Oskaloosa. and Western, with 49,
OBS, will meet at Plainfeld, Ind. on the 10th
inst. The former on the 9Th inst appointed
twelve delegates, and if the latter should send
the same mum bAr there will be just 100 in the
conference. Philadelphia Friends have not been
in correspondence with the other yearly meet
members of that yearly meeting who are in
unity with the church, and some OF these may
be present and invited to take part In the delib
eratlons
unusual interest by Friends throughout tho
world. A like assembly was never before held.
Conferences on Sabbath schools, education, etc.,
have met, and committees from all these
branches of the church have worked
together on peace Indian civilization,
etc., and delegate conferences have met
other occasions, in which most of the
yearly meetings in America were represented,
but there was never before general gathering
of delegates from all the yearly meetings in the
world, nor was the interest in any meeting ever
deep and widespread as in this
Among the questions likely to claim special
attention are two that ere Eow under review by
the Friends, and upon which there is much d.
versity of opinion. They are first, the education,
distribution and support of the ministry, includ-
ing the recognition of pastors over churches;
and, second, the degree of tolerance to be- exer-
cised toward those who believe baptism and the
Lords supper should be administered in the
church. Upon these questions there is variety
of opinion, and it may be difficult to find basis
regarding them upon which all can agree Iowa
has taken the most advanced ground upon the
former of these questions. D. B. Updegraff who
has taken aggressive grounds in favor of unlim-
tied tolerance regarding the ordinances, will be
a deleg ate from Ohio. The conclusions reached
by the conference on all questions not to be
binding on any yearly meeting, but only a3-
visory.
1t will be observed that the number in the
delegations bears no certain relation to the num-
Der of members In the respective yearly meet
ings. Baltimore and Ohio delegations are most
striking for largeness, ard North Carolina and
Kansas for smallness. 1t may be mentioned
a thing to be remembered in this connection,
united in interests, and eleven delegates is not a
large number for the two combined, and that
Ohio is the field in which the battle over ordi-
nances is being fought. and the different opin-
ions represented about equally in the ap-
pointment